Room decontamination apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Provided is a decontamination apparatus for decontaminating an enclosed room. The decontamination apparatus includes a source including a UVC bulb and a reflective shield arranged adjacent to the UVC bulb and configured to reflect UVC light emitted by the UVC bulb toward a region of the enclosed room to be decontaminated. A mounting system that is adjustable secures the source at a desired location within the enclosed room. A controller is operatively-connected to the source to terminate operation of the UVC bulb in response to a determination that an occupant is present within the enclosed room.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

This application relates generally to a decontamination method andapparatus and, more specifically, to an apparatus and method foremitting ultraviolet light onto surfaces of in an unoccupied room.

2. Description of Related Art

Surfaces in rooms at healthcare facilities are commonly exposed toinfectious organisms and other biologically-active contaminants(hereinafter generally referred to as “contaminants”) spread by thepatients who occupy those rooms. These contaminants can remain viable onthe contaminated surfaces to reproduce and infect others such assubsequent patients and/or visitors, for example, who enter the room andmake contact with those surfaces. In an effort to prevent the spread ofinfections, healthcare facilities must conduct decontaminationprocedures in the rooms as frequently as possible.

One example of a room where contaminants are most prevalent is thebathroom located in inpatient hospital rooms. Surfaces in such bathroomsfrequently come into direct contact with patients and their bodilyfluids, resulting in an increased likelihood that contaminants will bepresent on the surfaces in bathrooms. Accordingly, the bathroom ininpatient hospital rooms should be decontaminated frequently to avoid abuildup of contaminants and minimize the risk of spreading an infectionfrom one patient to another patient subsequently admitted to aninpatient hospital room or even a visitor or hospital personnel.However, manually decontaminating such bathrooms is labor intensive,requiring personnel to adhere to strict guidelines governing the use ofliquid disinfectants. Such procedures also render the bathroomunavailable for one or more patients admitted to the correspondinginpatient hospital room for a prolonged period of time, which makes themimpractical to conduct during the day when patients are most likely touse the bathroom. And conducting such decontamination procedures atnight may disrupt patients, causing them to lose sleep that they mayneed to recover.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the subject application involves adecontamination apparatus for decontaminating an enclosed room. Thedecontamination apparatus includes a source including a UVC bulb and areflective shield arranged adjacent to the UVC bulb and configured toreflect UVC light emitted by the UVC bulb toward a region of theenclosed room to be decontaminated. A mounting system that is adjustablesecures the source at a desired location within the enclosed room. Acontroller is operatively-connected to the source to terminate operationof the UVC bulb in response to a determination that an occupant ispresent within the enclosed room.

The above summary presents a simplified summary in order to provide abasic understanding of some aspects of the systems and/or methodsdiscussed herein. This summary is not an extensive overview of thesystems and/or methods discussed herein. It is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope of such systems and/ormethods. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplifiedform as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presentedlater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement ofparts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in thisspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form apart hereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a decontamination systeminstalled in a bathroom of an inpatient hospital room, with a portion ofa housing cutaway to expose internal components;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a source of a disinfecting agent in the formof UVC light;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a source of adisinfecting agent in the form of UVC light; and

FIG. 4 is a front view schematically depicting a controller of adecontamination system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the present invention. Relative language usedherein is best understood with reference to the drawings, in which likenumerals are used to identify like or similar items. Further, in thedrawings, certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form.

It is also to be noted that the phrase “at least one of”, if usedherein, followed by a plurality of members herein means one of themembers, or a combination of more than one of the members. For example,the phrase “at least one of a first widget and a second widget” means inthe present application: the first widget, the second widget, or thefirst widget and the second widget. Likewise, “at least one of a firstwidget, a second widget and a third widget” means in the presentapplication: the first widget, the second widget, the third widget, thefirst widget and the second widget, the first widget and the thirdwidget, the second widget and the third widget, or the first widget andthe second widget and the third widget.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of a bathroom 1 that isaccessible from an inpatient room at a hospital. The bathroom 1 includesat least a toilet 2 and a sink 4, and is accessible through a door 5separating the inpatient room from the bathroom 1. Although not shown,the bathroom 1 can also include other fixtures and features commonlyfound in bathrooms, such as a shower, a bath, and/or other featurescommonly utilized to maintain the personal hygiene of a patient.Further, although the present disclosure focuses on the decontaminationof the bathroom of an inpatient hospital room for clarity and brevity,the technology disclosed herein can be used to decontaminate thebathroom at various other public locations such as in hotel rooms, andto decontaminate rooms other than bathrooms.

Also disposed within the bathroom 1 shown in FIG. 1, is adecontamination apparatus 10 operable to at least partiallydecontaminate, or at least render pathogen reduced, contaminatedsurfaces within the bathroom 1. The decontamination process can beinitiated manually, and performed by the decontamination apparatus 10 ondemand and/or can be initiated automatically according to apredetermined schedule when the bathroom is unoccupied, as determinedutilizing a plurality of sensors as described below.

Rendering the surfaces “pathogen reduced” with the decontaminationapparatus 10 does not necessarily require the subject surfaces to be100% sterile, free of any and all living organisms that can viablyreproduce. Instead, to be considered pathogen reduced, there must be alower level of living contagions on the decontaminated surfaces capableof reproducing or otherwise causing an infection after performance ofthe decontamination process than the level that existed on the surfacesprior to performance of the decontamination process. For example, theexposed surfaces in the bathroom can be considered to be pathogenreduced if at least a 1 log₁₀ reduction of such contagions on thesurfaces remain infectious (i.e., no more than 1/10th of thebiologically-active contagions originally on the exposed surfaces remainactive or infectious at a time when the decontamination process iscompleted) occurs. According to yet other embodiments, the surfaces canbe considered pathogen reduced once at least a 3 log₁₀ reduction (i.e.,1/1,000th) of such contagions on the surfaces is achieved.

Generally, the decontamination apparatus 10 includes a source 12 of adisinfecting agent, a redundant occupant sensing system that determineswhether the bathroom 1 is occupied or not, and a controller 16 thatinterferes with emission of the disinfecting agent by the source 12 ifthe bathroom is occupied based on a signal from the occupant sensingsystem. The source 12 can be any apparatus that emits a disinfectingagent that, when exposed to the surfaces in the bathroom, renders thoseexposed surfaces pathogen reduced. For the illustrative embodiment shownin FIG. 1, the source 12 is an ultraviolet source that is energized toemit UVC light as the disinfecting agent.

As shown, the source 12 includes at least one, and optionally aplurality of UVC bulbs 14 coupled to a reflective shield 18 mountedwithin a housing 20. The housing 20 can be pivotally coupled to at leastone, and optionally a plurality of mounting rods 22 or other supportsthat allow for pivotal adjustment of the housing 20 about a rotationalaxis in the directions indicated by arrow 21. At least one of themounting rods 22 can have an adjustable length, which can beaccomplished by including an external member 24 that telescopicallyreceives an internal member 26. A spring and/or threaded memberextending between the external and internal members 24, 26, or any othersuitable biasing mechanism urges the internal member 26 out of theexternal member 24. The force exerted by the biasing mechanism issuitable in magnitude to support the housing 20 between the mountingrods 22 extending between opposing walls 28, 30 or other structures ofthe bathroom 1. According to alternate embodiments, brackets can extendbetween the ceiling 32 of the bathroom 1 and the housing 20 to suspendthe housing 20 within the bathroom 1. For such installations, and anyothers where the decontamination apparatus 10 is added to an existingbathroom 1 instead of being installed as a built in fixture, and pluggedinto an electrical outlet 25 supplied by an electric power utility, thehousing 20 is generally supported at an elevation vertically below theceiling 32. However, according to alternate embodiments, the housing 20can be integrally installed as a built-in, fixed installation at leastpartially recessed within the ceiling 32 (e.g., requiring adaptation orconfiguration of the ceiling 32 to accommodate the housing 20 as arecessed installation), and hard wired into in-wall electric circuitryand/or wiring, optionally connected to the controller 16 installed on awall 28, 30 as a switch installation, as discussed below.

The reflective shield 18 includes an arcuate region 34 that reflects UVClight emitted upwardly from the bulbs 14 in a downward direction,generally into the bathroom 1 where the light can impinge on thesurfaces to be decontaminated. The arcuate region 34 can include acurvature in multiple planes to achieve the desired light pattern forthe bathroom 1. For example, the arcuate region 34 can include aplurality of regions that each have a different radius of curvature, orreflect UVC light emitted from the same source in a plurality ofdifferent directions. Accordingly, the reflected UVC light withdifferent angles of incidence on the reflective shield 18 can be focusedtoward a particular region within the bathroom 1, and/or dispersed toensure thorough coverage of the interior of the bathroom 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reflective shield 18 can optionally be pivotallycoupled to the housing 20. A post 36 extending between each side of thehousing 20 and a respective side of the reflective shield establishes arotational axis about which the reflective shield 18 can be pivotedrelative to the housing 20 in the directions indicated generally byarrow 38. For such embodiments, the direction in which the UVC light isto be emitted can thus be adjusted about two, orthogonal axes ofrotation (e.g., about the members 24 and about the posts 36).

To help with adjustment of the housing 20 and/or reflective shield 18, afocal indicator 40 can be provided to the reflective shield 18. Locatingthe focal indicator 40 between the UVC bulbs 14 as shown in FIG. 2allows the focal indicator to identify a general direction that isrepresentative of the direction in which the UVC light from the UVCbulbs 14 will be focused. The focal indicator 40 can include a lightemitting diode (“LED”), laser light, or other optical indicator that canproject light other than UVC light that will illuminate a region of asurface on which the UVC light from the UVC bulbs 14 is centered. Thus,a user can essentially aim the UVC light toward the surfaces to berendered pathogen reduced without having to energize the UVC bulbs 14,thereby avoiding a scenario where a clinician could be exposed to theUVC light while aiming the decontamination apparatus 10. The regionilluminated by the focal indicator 40 will also be subjected to themaximum UVC exposure to the UVC light emitted by the UVC bulbs 14 whilethe decontamination apparatus 10 is so aimed.

The embodiment of the source 12 shown in FIG. 2 includes a plurality ofelongated, cylindrical UVC bulbs 14 that emit UVC light as thedisinfecting agent. Since such a source 12 emits only UVC light, it isdedicated for performing the decontamination process described herein.Another embodiment of the source 12, shown in FIG. 3, includes both avisible-light-emitting bulb 42 such as an incandescent lamp, afluorescent lamp and a LED lamp, for example, and a UVC bulb 44 in anannular shape. This embodiment of the source includes a screw-in base 46such as the Edison screw, which establishes an electrical contactbetween a compatible utility-supplied electrical receptacle and each ofthe visible-light-emitting bulb 42 and the UVC bulb 44. The presentembodiment of the source 12 can be screwed into existing receptaclessuch as recessed-light cans in the bathroom 1 as replacements forconventional bulbs. A socket insert with network communication abilitiessuch as wireless communication abilities (e.g., IEEE 802.1x, Bluetooth,etc. . . . ), for example, can be installed between the screw-in base 46and the existing receptacles to allow the controller 16 to controloperation of the different bulbs 42, 44 provided to the presentembodiment of the source. The UVC bulb 44 is to be illuminated duringthe decontamination process as described below, while thevisible-light-emitting bulb 42 is enabled to function in a conventionalmanner to illuminate the interior of the bathroom 1 and allow anoccupant to see objects therein.

Regardless of the configuration of the UVC bulbs 14, 44, the source 12can optionally include an intensity sensor 48 (FIG. 1) that senses anintensity of the UVC light emitted by each UVC bulb 14, 44 present. Forthe sake of brevity, the present technology will be describedhereinafter with reference to the elongated UVC bulbs 14, although theUVC bulbs 44 or any other desired configurations are viablealternatives. The intensity of the UVC light emitted by the UVC bulbs 14may diminish over time. To promote thorough decontamination of theexposed surfaces in the bathroom 1 with a reasonable cycle time of adecontamination process, the intensity sensor 48 includes aphotosensitive component such as a photodiode, charge coupled device,etc . . . , that monitors the intensity of the UVC light from the UVCbulbs 14. A signal indicative of the sensed intensity is transmitted tothe controller 16, which is operatively connected to at least receivesignals transmitted by the intensity sensor 48 and the sensors of theredundant occupant sensing system as described below. Base at least inpart on the signal from the intensity sensor 48, the controller 16 canissue a notification that one or more of the UVC bulbs 14 is nearing theend of its useful life, and should be replaced. Such a notification caninclude the illumination of a visible indicator in the form of a LED 50provided to the source 12 itself, or to an appropriate LED 52 (FIG. 4)provided to the controller 16, which can be remotely located from thesource 12 but in communication via a communication channel 56 such as ahardwired or wireless connection, or integrated as part of the source 12itself. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 16 is hardwired to the source12 to control operation of the source 12, but is hung on a wall of thebathroom 1 at a height vertically beneath the height of the source 12adjacent to the ceiling, where it can be reached by a clinicianactivating the source 12 to decontaminate the bathroom 1. According toalternate embodiments, the controller 16 can be used externally of thebathroom 1 to wireless transmit a control signal to a receiver withinthe bathroom 1 that is operatively connected to the source 12 to controloperation of the source 12, which involves energizing and de-energizingthe UVC bulbs 14 from outside the bathroom 1. For such embodiments, theremote-control version of the controller 16 transmits a control signalwirelessly that controls activation and deactivation of the UVC bulbs 14in the bathroom 1. A switch operatively connected to the receiverprovided to the source 12 selectively opens and closes the circuit(s)including the UVC bulbs 14 in response to the signals from theremote-control version of the controller 16, thereby eliminating therisk of UVC exposure to the clinician.

The redundant occupant sensing system includes a plurality of sensorsthat each independently senses a different property indicative of thepresence or absence of a bathroom occupant. With reference once again toFIG. 1, the redundant occupant sensing system includes a door sensor 54that is operatively connected to communicate with the controller 16, anddetects a status of the door 5 as being open or closed. The door sensor54 transmits a signal to be received by the controller 16, which caninterpret the signal to determine if the door 5 is open, closed, or haschanged from open to closed or closed to open. The signal can beembodied by the transmission of an electric signal over a wirelesscommunication channel, or a hardwired connection between the door sensor54 and the controller 16, or the interruption or establishment of asignal received by the controller 16.

Other sensors included in the redundant occupant sensing system canlikewise be positioned at appropriate locations within the bathroom 1 todetect other properties that would indicate the presence or absence ofan occupant. Such other sensors can be discrete sensors, or integratedinto a common sensor assembly 58 as shown in FIG. 1. Each of theplurality of sensors in the redundant occupant sensing system must sensea property that the bathroom 1 is unoccupied and communicate this statusto the controller 16 before the decontamination process can begin asdescribed below. According to yet other embodiments, a plurality of, andoptionally each of the sensors other than the door sensor 54 canoptionally be housed within the controller 16 that is coupled to thesource 12 within the bathroom 1.

An example of another of the sensors included in the integrated sensorassembly 58 of the redundant occupant sensing system is a proximitysensor that can detect the presence of an occupant without makingphysical contact with the occupant. The proximity sensor can utilize anysuitable technology such as an electromagnetic field or electromagneticradiation (infrared, for instance), to determine the distance of anobject such as a bathroom occupant from the proximity sensor todetermine whether the bathroom 1 is occupied. Such a sensor operates bymonitoring the electromagnetic field or evaluating the return signal forchanges, which would be indicative of the presence of a bathroomoccupant. Yet other embodiments can utilize an optical sensor thatrelies on reflected light or the interruption of a beam of light todetect the presence of a bathroom occupant, or a capacitive sensor thatsenses changes in the value of a capacitance sensed within a region ofthe bathroom 1 where an occupant is likely to be located. Regardless ofthe sensing mechanism utilized, the proximity sensor signals transmittedto the controller 16 identify changes in the proximity sensor signalthat indicate a change has occurred since an earlier proximity sensorsignal was transmitted (e.g., when the proximity sensor was normalizedunder known conditions, such as when the bathroom is unoccupied).

Another sensor that can optionally be included as part of the integratedsensor assembly 58 is a sound sensor. The sound sensor can include amicrophone or other sound-sensitive circuit that transmits a signalindicative of the magnitude and/or frequency of audible sounds sensedwithin the bathroom 1. Similar to the proximity sensor and the othersensors of the redundant occupant sensing system, the sound sensor isoperatively connected to communicate with the controller 16 and transmitsignals to the controller 16 that are interpretable to indicate changesin the sound level within the bathroom 1. These changes can be relativeto the sound level within the bathroom 1 at a time of an earlier soundlevel is measured, or when the sound sensor is normalized such as whenthe system is powered on when the bathroom is knowingly unoccupied.

A light sensor can also optionally be included as part of the sensorassembly 58 to detect changes in light within the bathroom 1. The lightsensor can include a photosensitive component such as a photodiode,charge coupled device, etc . . . , that monitors the intensity ofvisible light and/or UVC light within the bathroom. Again, a signalindicative of the sensed light levels within the bathroom 1 istransmitted to the controller 16, which can determine whether a changein light level has occurred, which would suggest an occupant has enteredthe bathroom 1.

Further, a motion sensor can also optionally be included in the sensorassembly 58 to sense movement within the bathroom 1. Such sensors can besense a property such as changes in the thermal signature at variouslocations within the bathroom 1. Utilizing the temperature gradients todetect motion is advantageous in that inanimate movement in the bathroom(e.g., a towel falling from a rack) will not trigger the motion sensorto transmit a signal indicative of movement. Other embodiments of themotion sensor include a photoelectric sensor that utilizes a beam oflight or and laser that travels from a source to a detector. When anoccupant crosses the path of light, the light is blocked and the sensordetects the obstruction. Such motion sensors can optionally bepositioned at particularly revealing locations such as approximately 1-3ft. above the floor at the door 5. Projecting a beam of light at such alocation will almost certainly be broken if an occupant enters thebathroom 1 through the door 5.

Certain embodiments of the decontamination system will include at leastone of the aforementioned sensors (door, proximity, sound, light andmovement), and optionally a plurality, or all of these sensors. However,alternate embodiments can utilize any other suitable sensor(s) that cantransmit a signal indicative of the presence of a living occupant withinthe bathroom 1 without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, a carbon dioxide sensor can be utilized tosense a change in the carbon dioxide level in the bathroom 1 cause by anoccupant exhaling. Other embodiments can utilize a heartbeat monitorthat can remotely sense the impulses of a beating heart without makingphysical contact with an occupant. Yet other embodiments can utilize apressure sensor operatively connected to the toilet 2 to sense when anoccupant is seated thereon, or a water sensor to sense when a valveprovided to the sink 4 has been opened to allow water to run.

An illustrative embodiment of the controller 16 is shown in FIG. 4. Asshown, the controller 16 includes manual override buttons 60, 62 that,when pressed, cause the decontamination process to be manually initiatedand stopped on demand, respectively. If the start button 60 is selected,the controller 16 implements a delay of a predetermined duration (e.g.,10 seconds) that is sufficient to allow the person who pressed the startbutton 60 to exit the bathroom 1 before the UVC bulbs 14 are illuminatedas part of the decontamination process. An audible warning such as arepeating beep can be broadcast by a speaker 61 provided to thecontroller 16 to warn of the impending start of the decontaminationprocess.

Following the expiration of the delay, each of the sensors included inthe redundant occupant sensing system is normalized, indicating a statewhere it is assumed that the bathroom 1 is unoccupied. If, at any timeduring the decontamination process any of the sensors senses a propertythat is indicative of a change from the state in which the sensors werenormalized, the controller 16 determines that the bathroom has becomeoccupied, and immediately terminates the decontamination process. Toidentify the cause of termination, one or a plurality of labeled visibleindicators 64 such as discrete LEDs, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”),or any other suitable notification device provided to the controller 16can be activated. For example, the proximity indicator 66 can beilluminated to indicate that the proximity sensor triggered termination;the sound indicator 68 can be illuminated to indicate that the soundsensor triggered termination; the light indicator 70 can be illuminatedto indicate that the light sensor triggered termination; the motionindicator 72 can be illuminated to indicate that the motion sensortriggered termination; and the door indicator 74 can be illuminated toindicate that the door sensor 54 triggered termination. The specificvisible indicators 64 included as part of the controller 16 cancorrespond to the specific sensors present.

If premature termination of the decontamination process occurs beforethe decontamination process is complete (e.g., before the UVC bulbs 14have been illuminated for the time required to achieve the desired levelof pathogen reduction), a cycle status indicator 75 can be illuminatedin a manner indicative of such termination. For example, the cyclestatus indicator 75 can be illuminated red, and/or made to flash to callan operator's attention to the premature termination of thedecontamination process. The manual pressing of a reset button 76 can berequired by the controller 16 before the decontamination process can berestarted. Requiring the reset button 76 to be pushed will allow anoperator to ensure that the condition resulting in termination of thedecontamination apparatus has been cleared before resetting thecontroller 16.

Premature termination of the decontamination apparatus can be saved in alog stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., SD card inserted into SDcard port 80 provided to the controller 16, built in hard drive or othernon-transitory computer-readable medium provided to the controller 16,remote hard drive or other non-transitory medium remotely located over ahospital communication network) in communication with the controller 16.Such a log can maintain data concerning the cause of an interruption, atime of an interruption, a time since the last successfully-completeddecontamination process, and any other data pertaining to thedecontaminated state of the bathroom 1. Such data can be utilized todiagnose problems such as a faulty sensor included in the redundantoccupant sensing system, and to promote regular decontamination of thebathroom 1.

The controller 16 can optionally be configured to restart aprematurely-terminated decontamination cycle without manual userintervention. For example, once all of the conditions sensed by thesensors in the redundant occupant sensing system return to theirnormalized values, the controller 16 can initiate a timer to establish arestart delay. If all of the conditions remain at their normalizedvalues for the duration of the restart delay, the controller 16 canautomatically restart the decontamination process by once againactivating the UVC bulbs 14 for the predetermined cycle time. Thisprocess of restarting the decontamination process can optionally berepeated until the decontamination process has been completedsuccessfully.

In the absence of any conditions interrupting the decontaminationprocess, the decontamination process will remain active, with the UVCbulbs 14 illuminated and the redundant occupant sensing systemmonitoring conditions within the bathroom 1 for any changes that wouldindicate an occupant has entered for a predetermined cycle time. Thepredetermined cycle time can be manually input and programmed into thecontroller 16 via a timer input system 78 provided to the controller 16,or can be established through an administration terminal and deliveredto the controller 16 via a portable computer-readable medium such as anSD card inserted into an SD card slot 80 provided to the controller 16.According to alternate embodiments, actions such as adjusting theduration of the decontamination process and actions other than manuallyinitiating the decontamination process can be carried out over acommunication network from a remotely-located administration terminal.The cycle time can be independently established to a custom duration foreach bathroom 1 depending on factors such as the size of the bathroom,the number and intensity of the UVC bulbs 14 to be utilized, thedistance separating the source 12 from the surfaces to bedecontaminated, etc. . . . to achieve the desired level ofdecontamination to be achieved. According to alternate embodiments, adefault value that can be used for most installations can be utilized.The default value can be selected to be “overkill”, meaning that thedefault duration will be longer than required to achieve the desiredlevel of decontamination for most installations based, at least in part,on assumptions about the size of the bathroom, the number and intensityof the UVC bulbs 14 to be utilized, the distance separating the source12 from the surfaces to be decontaminated, etc. . . .

Once the decontamination process has been successfully completed, thecycle status indicator 75 can be illuminated as a solid (i.e.,non-flashing) green color or otherwise notify an observer that thedecontamination process has been successfully completed. Additionally,successful completion of the decontamination process can be logged onthe computer-readable medium in communication with the controller 16,documenting a time when the bathroom was last successfullydecontaminated.

The manual procedure of initiating and conducting a decontaminationprocess described above can be one of a plurality of operational modes.The decontamination system 10 can also optionally be configured toconduct a decontamination process according to a defined schedule. Forexample, a timer 82 provided to the controller 16 can be programmed toinitiate the decontamination process at a set time, such as 1:00 AM,local time. At that set time, the decontamination process can proceed asdescribed above for the manually-initiated process.

Another configuration of the controller 16 includes using the timer 82to define a window of time during which the controller 16 will allow thedecontamination process to be initiated. For example, the timer 82 canbe programmed to allow the decontamination process to be initiated onlybetween the hours of midnight and 5:00 AM, local time, each night. Thus,even if the start button 60 is pressed outside of this window, thecontroller 16 will not initiate the decontamination process. But withinthe permissible window of operation, the decontamination process can beinitiated manually, and/or the redundant occupant sensing system cancontinuously monitor conditions within the bathroom 1 to determine whenthe bathroom has been unoccupied for at least a predetermined period oftime (e.g., for at least 10 minutes). Once such a delay has expired, thedecontamination process can be automatically initiated by the controller16.

The decontamination system 10 can also optionally be configured toinitiate a decontamination process at a predetermined frequency, and/orbased on usage of the bathroom 1. For example, the controller 16 can beconfigured to initiate a decontamination process every X hours, where Xcan be any desired period of time such as 8 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours,etc . . . , conditioned on the premise that the redundant occupantsensing system determines the bathroom 1 is unoccupied. As an example ofdecontamination based on bathroom usage, the redundant occupant sensingsystem can continuously monitor the status of the bathroom 1 from a timeat which the decontamination system is powered up. When an occupantenters the bathroom 1, the changes sensed by the redundant occupantsensing system will indicate that the bathroom 1 is occupied. However,the changes will eventually revert to their normalized values once theoccupant leaves the bathroom 1. In response to determining the occupanthas left based on the signals from the redundant occupant sensingsystem, or after a predetermined time has elapsed since the controller16 determined the occupant has left the bathroom 1, the controller 16can initiate a decontamination process. Such a use-based example canalso optionally be restricted to occur only during a permissible windowof time such as that described above.

Illustrative embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methodsmay incorporate changes and modifications without departing from thegeneral scope of this invention. It is intended to include all suchmodifications and alterations within the scope of the present invention.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A decontamination apparatus for decontaminatingan enclosed room, the decontamination apparatus comprising: a sourcecomprising: (i) a UVC bulb that emits UVC light, and (ii) a reflectiveshield that is arranged adjacent to the UVC bulb and comprises anarcuate region, the arcuate region comprising a plurality of sub regionsthat each reflect the UVC light emitted by the UVC bulb in differentdirections toward one or more surfaces to be decontaminated within theenclosed room; a mounting system that secures the source at a desiredlocation within the enclosed room; and a controlleroperatively-connected to the source to terminate an emission of the UVClight by the UVC bulb in response to a determination that an occupant ispresent within the enclosed room.
 2. The decontamination apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the UVC bulb and the reflective shield are mounted in ahousing, and the housing is adjustably coupled to pivot about a portionof the mounting system.
 3. The decontamination apparatus of claim 1,wherein each of the different arcuate shapes comprises a differentradius of curvature.
 4. The decontamination apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a focal indicator that emits light other than the UVC lightto illuminate a target portion of the enclosed room towards which theUVC light is to be directed.
 5. The decontamination apparatus of claim4, wherein the focal indicator comprises a light source comprising atleast one of a light emitting diode and a laser light.
 6. Thedecontamination apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a door sensoroperatively connected to transmit a signal to the controller indicativeof a state of a door leading into the enclosed room, wherein thecontroller is configured to determine that the occupant is in theenclosed room and terminate the emission of the UVC light by the UVCbulb based on the signal transmitted by the door sensor.
 7. Thedecontamination apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a redundantoccupancy sensing system operatively connected to transmit an occupantsignal to the controller, the redundant occupancy sensing systemcomprising at least one additional occupant sensor that senses aproperty indicative of the occupant's presence within the enclosed roomand transmits the occupant signal to the controller in response, therebycausing the controller to terminate the emission of the UVC light by theUVC bulb.
 8. The decontamination apparatus of claim 7, wherein the atleast one additional occupant sensor comprises at least one of: aproximity sensor, a sound sensor, a light sensor, and a motion sensor.9. The decontamination apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least oneadditional occupant sensor comprises two or more of: a proximity sensor,a sound sensor, a light sensor, and a motion sensor.
 10. Thedecontamination apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plug that isto be plugged into an electric outlet provided to a wall of the enclosedroom.
 11. The decontamination apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mountingsystem comprises a support member that pivotally supports the source atan elevation vertically below a ceiling of the enclosed room.
 12. Amethod of decontaminating an enclosed room, the method comprising:energizing a UVC bulb to cause an emission of UVC light within theenclosed room; causing a plurality of sub regions included in an arcuateregion provided to a reflective shield to reflect the UVC light emittedby the UVC bulb in a plurality of different directions toward one ormore surfaces to be decontaminated within the enclosed room; and using acontroller operatively connected to the UVC bulb to terminate theemission of the UVC light by the UVC bulb in response to a determinationthat an occupant is present within the enclosed room.
 13. The method ofclaim 12 further comprising: adjusting a position of the reflectiveshield relative to a mounting system to reflect the UVC light emitted bythe UVC bulb toward at least one additional surface within the enclosedroom.
 14. The method of claim 12 further comprising: with a focalindicator, projecting light other than the UVC light to illuminate theone or more surfaces to be decontaminated before energizing the UVCbulb.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the controller terminates theemission of the UVC light in response to receiving a signal from a doorsensor, the signal being indicative of a state of a door leading intothe enclosed room.